The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-07-07
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks DOings at the Ma
tiOnal Capital
ruE NrRsrs, ASSOCIATIONS.


Dr. Susan A. EdsOHs. on ] street, and had more
than quorum of members registered present
Of earnest loyal women, no longer young. The
officers selected for the ensuing year were as
follows: Miss Harriet y. Dame Acting Presi-
dent; DIR. Susan A. Edison, Vice President;
Mrs. III. A. j. Oorts, Secretary, aud Mrs. Martha
Ii,se Wood Ferguson, Treasurer
A letter was read from an attending physl-
clan on Miss Dorothea Dix, the President eX-
otlco for life, who lies III ia q hospital founded
by her own hand in Trenton, n. j., al or near
the close of the late war, aud who is receiving
from this Surgeon and all attendants the ten
derest care. The doctor says, While her sight
and hearing seem somewhat impaired from age,
Vet her mental faculties are preserved 10 her
in a remarkable degree aud while she might
pass away soon in her enleehled condition, yet
she may be spared some years 60 enjoy her
many friends here" The association Is always
delighted TO hear from her as their ackowl-
edged leader OF the past and as life President,
and some OF them annually visit her; yet all
members of the society were not enlisted under
her during the war, FOR some were strictly
volunteers and not paid nurses as eXempliied
in the Red Cross service al the National Drill.
The Compensation Claim Bill which has
been before Congress for several years at differ
ent times, will be again presented by the Ex-
ecusiye Committee, reappointed 10 take II IN
charge.
The matter OF nonresident membership was
also discussed again IN order 10 enable the Sec
rotary 10 answer some interesting letters on
Gle from eN-nurscs in Northern cities, who
served in the war and who wish TO identify
themselves with the only existing organization
of this character in the United States. The
name of Hannah Babb Hutchins, of Freepon,
Me-known by sick and wounded in hospital
aud at The front rs Mother Babb' she being
then a Mrs Babb about a. or 80 years Of age
was voted in as an honorary member.
AFtTrrpTAF ran CAp UscTopNN
The place where war "reminiscences" are
made is here i'm Washington. IL is little
square, grAy-stOne building on street. Any
sort of war rcmniscence That is wanted can be
had there on very short notice. The war arti-
ccs that appear in such numbers in popular
magazines and newspapers, written by great
Generals, aud priVates with wonderful rccol.
lections, come in part or in fall from this place.
If General Of either army is called upon by
some periodical TO write his recOllectiOns Of the
war, he repairs at once TO this place TO gather
up his recolectiOns. Ii is a sort OF magic cell
which awakens tagging memory aud corrects
popular falacies. Gen. Wallace Gen. Beaure-
gard. Col. Allen, Gen. Corse, Gen. Smith and
Gen sherman all 60 there 20 put on their
thinking caps; or, when they do not 60 in per-
son, they write for information. This great
wakener Of recollectiOns Is the War Records Of
flee. The amount of information they have
collected is almost incOnceivable. great mass
appeared IN The Century is dug out of the rec
Ords there. Many old war veterans 20 there
and search out the ola documents before writ
ing the history OF what they saw. IL is aston
fishing how often they are forced by the cold,
dried and well-presorved facts to discard pet
notions about how things were, and arc obliged
10 revise their impressions about things with
which they had thought themselves entirely
familiar.
Frequently officers Of the two opposing armies
who have led the charge against each others
forces have met here for the FIRST time 10 know
each other. Each looking at the battle or the
manuVer from a different standpoint, they
come TO look over the records 10 see how IL
really was. There is no chance for any quar-
rel about it, There is no room for eKaPgera-
ton. The records are right at hand TO sustain
the truth or to brand a falacy. Generally
both men find that their impressions were not
quite right. Facts make friends; SO they soon
become cordial There have been some remark
able meetings here OF men who fought hard
face 20 face, but never met before All who
have met this way have become friends They
sit and talk the whole thing over, correct each
others errors of memory, or are both set right
by the record. sherman, Sheridan, BeauregaTd
Hunt Wallace, Long and the younger Lees
have met there. Sherman has drawn largey
upon these records IN some of his writings
Gen. Grant, while writing his book, was in con
slant communication with Gen. Marcus !.
Wright who does the work of collecting the
Confederate records A large amount of til,
matter in the book was got in this way. III,
also furnished information TO the Office anC
corrected some erroneous statements made
JEFF Davis has drawn upon this source for in
formation for use in his book. Gen. Wright
has IN his possession letter book filed witt
nothing but letters from Grant and Davis upoI
the same subjects.
Strange TO say, JEFF. Davis was among thl
N rau.
mcnt Tor official papers OF the Confectionery
JIG sent all his papers cheeriully as soon as h
received the request. When the work of col
lecting the records was first begun ID wa
thought that they would never be able 10 &c
enough OF the Confederate papers TO make th
record compietei but for nine years now Get
Wright has been writing 10 the surviving Con
federate officers or the families Of officers VIII
were killed, and be has succeeded in cOllectin
fully complete a record of the C0nfederat
army ss Is had OF the Federal. All letters q
orders written by officials or officers OF ia
army during the war that relate at all TO III
subicct OF the war are collected and compile
iud printed without editing. When the wor
Is all done there will have 10 be another his
tOry OF The war written from these records
hauy things that have been accepted rs truth
Nil be- proven by these records 30 be absoutol
false. They will show that officers on bot
sides have been Ofcrestimatcd, and that othe
them.
FINANCIAL CLERKS DEFICIT.
An examination which has been made OF tn
accounts OF the late Levi Bacon, Financial Cler
vi the Interior Department, who diod on IN
22d ultimo reveals deficiency Of $4,000 !
his accounts. The inquiry is said 10 hay
shown thai FOR a long time prior 10 his death I
had either mlsapproprialed public moneys
permitted loose methods Of transacting busine
d. his Office. Upon Mr.. Bac0n's decease at I'll
request OF lbs bondsmen, Secretary Lamar ~
pointed a committee 10 examine aud settle h
accounts. The report Of the committee W.
submitted to the Secretary few DAYS ago an
issaid 20 show deficiency OF more than So co
OF which $4,000 is represented by due bills
employees OF tho Office, 70 whom Mr.. 'SacOn a,
vanced money. Some of these bills run AS Fl
back as 1879. IL is believed that a cOusiderab
part OF the money represented by these bill
can be recovered, aud Secretary Lamar Ia
issued az order directing the discussing Office
% retain part Of The salaries Of employees who
due bills arc held and thus secure the Cover
ment against loss Ear As possible. The r
mainder OF the missing $4,000 is said TO
represented by paper Of persons outside Il
Department aud by shortage Of 81 500 in n
attorneys fund OF the Patent Office"
VETERANS IN THE CITY.
Col. J. 4. Mitchell, Of Urhana o. Col Mite
ell entered the Goth Ohio when il was organiz
in October, 1861, as private soldier. lie ca
ripd a gun until Nav 1872 when he WAS M